Lead Poisoning Study Shows Kidney Damage at Low Blood Lead Levels
Reuters Health recently reported that researchers at Johns Hopkins University have just annonuced the results of a study that shows evidence of early kidney damage in children with lead levels far below what is normally considered dangerous. The researchers studied test results from 769 adolescents aged 12 to 20 who took partin the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988 to 1994. “Our findings were particularly striking because we saw slightly decreased kidney function in healthy children without conditions that could account for it, and this could spell more kidney trouble down the road as these children get older or if they acquire additional risk factors for kidney disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes,” said Dr. Susan Furth of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, who worked on the study.